Losses, what can we learn?

Today's post is going to be about who the sharks have lost to, who we have gone to shoot-outs with and why.

Well first here are the teams we decided to lose to:
Here is how to read the chart, first is the scores (all these are Sharks losses so assume the lower number to be San Jose's score), if you see a SO that means we lost in the shoot out, giving us one point, the next up is the team name, last is the team's city.


2-3 SO::Blues-St. Louis
1-2::Flames-Calgary
4-6::Kings-L.A.
2-3 SO::Stars-Dallas
2-7 & 3-4 OT::Blackhawks-Chicago
3-4::Predators-Nashville
2-5::Lightning-Tampa Bay
1-2 SO::Red Wings-Detroit
1-0 SO::Coyotes-Phoenix
1-4::Capitals-Washington
2-5::Avalance-Colorado

Let me run down the teams for you.

All of the games besides the LA Kings and Nashville Predators games we failed to score more than two goals. Is that pathetic? We're the number one team in the NHL for crying out loud and we can't score more than 2 goals in almost every one of the games we've lost? Scoring goals has to be a gaping problem.

Next, when we look at these teams, Chicago we seem to be struggling against since we had met them earlier in the season and got our buttocks handed to us on a silver platter. Defensively we have been strong up until that game, and obviously letting in seven goals is unaaceptable for any team.

Defensively keeping every team the Sharks play to allow a maximum of two goals, the sharks can win each and every game just looking at past games.

If the sharks are playing any team in the NHL you can almost take it to the bank we're going to score. We have 101 goals in 31 games. That Averages out to be 3.258 goals a game. We are hitting right at that 3 goals marker as I stated before.

On the other hand we have allowed 78 goals against in 31 games. This stat averages out for 2.516 goals against. We need to let in less goals to make it to two, and keep our scoring as consistent as it currently stands.

Another thing, Nashville, Colorado, St. Louis, and L.A. We have all beaten before or after we have lost to them. It is definitely not like San Jose cannot beat them, because we've done it before. This knocks out 3 losses and 1 overtime loss in a shootout, if we tallied up the points for these four games, we'd have 8 more points putting us quite a bit higher than we currently are, and making the gap between the sharks and the other NHL teams.

Last, please note that we still happen to be #1 in the NHL in points. When San Jose arrives in the Playoffs, we had certainly be ready for Calgary, Dallas, Phoenix, Detroit, and especially Chicago. I didn't name the other teams since they are not going to be playing the sharks until the stanely cup since that is how the west and east conferences are set up.

Just some more food for you sharks fans out there, chew out that!

Facebook Fantasy Hockey!

Hey, everyone! I figured since you all may be coming home for the holidays within the next couple weeks, you would want to keep up on your friends as you come home for the holidays and may be bored over the holiday season before Christmas arrives.

If you have some downtime, everyone who is anyone is on facebook, so here's a fun little app I found that you can feel free to use and have fun with a fantasy hockey team on facebook.

You'll find the link here, Merry Christmas!

SJ Sharks Navigation!

This is a slideshow on how to navigate the sharks website, hopefully it helps!!

Ppt Slideshare Sharks

View more presentations from DrTwik.

ESPN Alerts!

This week's post is actually a jing video on how to keep up to date on the sharks with the use of your mobile phone!

Check out the link, you'll be glad you did, enjoy, shark fans!

Steamrolling in New York and a Dark Cloud in Tampa Bay

The Sharks whip out of San Jose for a 6 game road trip for the next couple weeks to hit all eastern conference teams in high hopes to prepare for a faster paced game.

They first stopped in the domain of Alexander Ovechkin, in the nation's capital. On the ice, the capitals' star player embarassed the sharks in a 4-1 loss with Ovechkin putting two goals past Nabakov sending the sharks on road to their next game.

Next up, the sharks took to the north to take on two of New York's teams, the Islanders were first on the list. The sharks stepped up their game significantly. With Joe Thornton dropping a goal and two assists, Nabokov making 31 saves, the sharks matched their previous game in score 4-1, but this time, they were on the winning end. Sharks always coming from behind, and scoring second.

After Saturday's game with the Islanders the sharks drove over to play the Rangers in Madison Square Gardens. The sharks came onto the ice flat and slow to start out with, dropping into a quick 2-0 hole but coming back in the end of the first to tie it at 2-2. The second period rolls around and after tying up the first, the sharks come out with a tenacity for blood in the second, notching 3 goals and letting in zero. Then, the third period rolls around and the sharks clean up the damage in the Gardens by steamrolling the rangers 7-3.

After the huge games in Detroit the sharks seemed invincible, but they still have three games left, and on the road trip they still are only 2-1 with their record. In my mind, it seemed like the two wins in NY gave the sharks a huge head win to jump down to play the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sharks quickly dropped into a 2-0 hole in the first hardly even getting a shot on net. Seeming to be lying in a hibernating period in the first the sharks notch a goal in the second making it 2-1, but before the light comes from the end of the tunnel, the second period ends after the bolts of lightning drop in yet another goal making it 3-1. The sharks end up getting another goal to make it 2-3 in third. After pursuing for awhile for the third goal for San Jose, the lightning pick up their fourth goal. In a desperate act, the sharks pull Nabokov out for a 6-on-5 trying to put in 2 quick goals within the last 3 minutes of the third period. Even more unlucky, the sharks give up an empty net goal ending the game with a loss 5-2.

The sharks play Atlanta and Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Hoping to pull of a duo win before heading home, i think the sharks and their fans have the same mindset.

Chew on that, shark fans.
tootles!

Interview with Steven Schmitz

Steven Schmitz, more commonly known as Schmitty, was open to chatting over lunch today about how he views the sharks. After making sure he was not promoting the wings, his favorite NHL team, he conceeded to take an unbiased viewpoint on the current situation. Considering that most teams haven't played more than five games yet, we both agreed that it was entirely too early to go by the rosters to see who was good.

Q: Who do you view to be the sharks biggest threat in their Western Conference? And Why?
A: Most definitely the Colorado avalanche and the Detroit red wings. Well the avs gave the sharks a run for their money all ready smacking them around and winning in the Colorado's home opener 2-5. The wings are just flat out always a threat. Even though you may think I'm running an active bias for my favorite team, they do have all those Stanley cup appearances and a lot of them are the Wings taking home the trophy.


Q: Do you think that the sharks have any competition in the East? If so, who would it be?
A: Pittsburg and Washington are really racing to prove themselves the past few years as they have been appearing in the play-off ever since they acquired Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Those two teams always are tough in the Stanley Cup, seeing as the penguins beat the wings last year, even though I hate to admit it.

Q: Do you as a wings fan, see the sharks as a significant hurdle to overcome?
A: Schmitty smirked with a wide smile, since he knows we constantly make fun of eachother's teams. Even though I constantly slam your team, I do think that they will be the number one in the West again on the roster like last year. But in the play-offs I still think the final four will be the sharks taking on the wings and the penguins taking on the capitals. He smiled again, but you gotta know that I still think we'll beat you to get to the finals and beat whoever it is that is the final team in the Eastern Conference.

Highlighted Pictures

Here's a few highlight shots from the sharks, and sweet action shots.

Preseason Recap: Heatley, pro or con?

Game 1: (09.17.09)

The Sharks played the LA Kings away in Ontario, CA. The moment of truth, the Sharks first pre-season game. San Jose niched in a quick goal that Ferriero hammered in the first period to start off the game. The 2nd period went fairly uneventful, but no goals were scored. Third period rolled in and the Kings put a shot in on Greiss to tie the game up at one a piece. The OT's were played but they resulted with zero goals again. Greiss stopped all four shooters from the Kings while Jason Demers put in the game winner shootout goal. Sharks 2, Kings 1, and the Sharks are 1-0 in the preseason.

Game 2: (09.18.09)

Sharks back in the Cage with the Canucks in the HP Pavilion. Mitchell, on the Canucks took an early advantage of a distant slap shot from the blue line with heavy traffic and roofed it in on Greiss to start the Canucks off with their first goal. Within about a minute Burrows, again a Vancouver player, put in an excellent pass to Scatchard who put it past Greiss for goal #2 (2-0). Next, within another two minutes the Sedin brothers put together a shot-redirection combo to put a third goal past Greiss. The second period rolls around and the Sharks are down 3-0, this was not turning out to be the greatest home opener for the Sharks. Within the second period things got messy as Vancouver put in another 2 goals before the horn rang to signal the end of the second. Henrik Sedin scored a little over a minute into the 2nd and with a power play goal at 5:35 in the second he struck again putting the Canucks into a 5-0 lead going into the 3rd. A defeated Sharks team hobbled into the locker room after a long two periods. Just as the Sharks were staring down a 5-0 hole, the Sharks attacked swiftly as Ortmeyer wrenched in a wrister off a deflection just four minutes into the 3rd. The Sharks now only trailer 4-1 are fighting back. Then as things finally started looking a little better for the Sharks, a large chunk of time without any goals elapsed before Erhoff, former Shark now playing as a Canuck, sniped in a long ranged slap shot in the 14th minute of the third. This didn't discourage the sharks just yet, since Jamie McGinn slammed in a rebound goal of Marleu's initial shot. The game closed out as a Vancouver victory 6-2. A disappointing home game put the pre-season at an even 1-1 record.

Danny hopefully will heat up the ice

The sharks took a significant blow from the past high of making the second round in the play-offs. Through a series of trades, free agency losses, or retirements, the sharks now are missing NINE key players who had previously dressed for the team in the 2008-2009 play-offs.

Sharks have now had to fill the gap for Roenick, Michalek, C. Lemieux, Grier, Lukowich, Ehrhoff, Moen, Cheechoo and Goc. These are players from all over the ice, from forward to wingman, defender to center, the sharks were missing a lot of key players, the coaches had their work cut out for them in reassessing the team roster.

Having trouble shooting post season after the play-offs of 2009, the sharks acquired Danny Heatley, one of the most recognized scoring forwards in the NHL. Heatley will be another one of the top scorers on the Sharks forwards list along with Joe Thornton, Devin Setoguchi, Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski.

Shark fans can rest assured that San Jose has tightened up their middle forwards and given them a higher level of intensity on the ice. Having a bunch of newer players playing this year who weren't even skating post season last year will certainly make things interesting and fresh.

Luckily, the third and fourth lines promise much more "tenacity". The players and coaching staff are saying, it will be made up of bigger guys who can make big defensive stops on those much needed penalty kills.

Even better yet, the coaches, the shark vets, and even the rookies are commenting on how fresh, new, and intense the team is this year. They have got some chemistry kinks to work out, but only the season stats will tell the results.

Chew on that, Shark fans!

~Next blog post will be a quick run down of the preseason and how the team has melded, continuing coverage will be posted up at the very least at the end of each week about the week's games.

~p.s. don't feed the fish at the bottom this week, the sharks need to be hungry for tonight's game against the Avalanche.((Today's post is primarily taken from sjsharks.com))

Dr. Twik signing off until next time.